Was it wrong for me to have stood inappropriately and unashamedly close, to an extraordinarily tall and wide man, using him as a windshield whilst we waited in the cold blustering wind and rain?

What if I told you that we were waiting almost twenty minutes for public transport to arrive? What if I told you I had lost my umbrella that night?

Still wrong, huh?

Fair enough…
It was as cold as the high mountains of Russia that night; my fingers, toes and frost bitten nose, feeling as if they were about to snap clean off. Snow was definitely on the horizon…
Funnily enough, My hubby was back home from Russia for Christmas, just in time for the UK cold snap! He travels afar and wide for work. I also travel for work, but nowhere half as glamorous as some of his business destinations. Instead, I am summond to places such as Grimsby, a fairly underwhelming location in comparison to the romance of St.. Petersburg… Sorry if you are from, or reside in Grimsby, I’m just putting it out there that it’s pretty darn grim.
A while back, I got a little silver fox, faux fur Cossack Hat, from a quirky vintage shop that goes by the name of “Strut”. Strut is a quaint little store, housed in a place called “Stokie”. Strut’s not as common as Beyond Retro and not as pricey as Rokit – I am still dubious about vintage shopping in London, as few items are true vintage, and most items are overpriced for what they actually are. A lot of people my age are buying into the vintage “look”, just buying shit because it’s old and because it’s “in”, rather than buying pieces because of the love or nostalgia of the eras they are from, or because of the aesthetic quality of the material and style, which is significant to and synonymous with that era. I’ve witnessed girls get duped into buying random, awful and cheap shit that’s blatantly from a stall in a local market, but hung on a cute little hanger with a vintage label…. These unsavvy shoppers are buying things because they want to look “different” but end up being typecast mini Allexa Chung’s…all cut off denim hot pants and top knot buns, Peter Pan collars, granny cardigans, Doctor Martens, Satchel-bag-wearing look-a-likes; and don’t look different from any other random at all. You see, there’s nothing wrong with following trends and seeking “inspo” from blogs, magazines, mannequins and celebs… What’s wrong is claiming to be “different”, “quirky” and buying just about any tat because it’s apparently “vintage”.

Buy because you love, and because you want, maybe even because you need – not because you’d love and want to become, or look like someone else!

I got this a year ago but never really wore it out until October 2012. Like many things, it was purchased before it came into fashion. I got it because I loved it, and because I’ve always loved Cruella De Vil; and the Russian Princess Anastasia! Most of my style inspirations derive from the strangest places… but most of all that strange place is my childlike brain and wayward nostalgia!

All I need now is a furry muff – take your minds out of the gutter people!